Oceanside Boy Drowns in San Luis Rey River

A 9-year-old Oceanside boy died Thursday night after falling into the San Luis Rey River just north of Cypress Street in Oceanside, where he had been playing, authorities said.

Joseph Randolph and a friend had been wading along the river shore Thursday afternoon when Randolph apparently slipped and went under, Deputy Coroner Gerald Hillbrand said.

“The Oceanside police and paramedics responded, but they didn’t find the boy for several hours,” Hillbrand said. “When they found him, he was face down on the bottom.”